TOKYO – It’s probably just a coincidence; no need to worry yet. But the U.S. has quietly assembled a powerful air, land and …
Aircraft carriers
Calls for Phantom Defense Cuts Must Stop
Fiscal restraint is en vogue and increasingly the cover many are using to push other agendas. Republicans spent a week in Tampa monitoring America’s mounting national debt at their recent convention. Democrats included a call …
The Country Whose Name Dare Not Be Spoken
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta spoke to the sailors of the carrier USS John C. Stennis on Wednesday in Bremerton, Wash. He lauded their their service, but warned of the threats still out there:
We have threats of nuclear
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Great Moments in Navy History
The USS Gerald R. Ford will be the first aircraft carrier ever built without urinals, the independent Navy Times reports in a story not yet on line. In a related move, the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima now boasts a beauty salon.
U.S. Gets Its Asian Allies Together — Finally
TOKYO – For the first time ever, warships from the United States and its two closest Asian allies have come together in a joint military training exercise. But if the Americans can just keep the South Koreans and Japanese from …
Talk is Cheap in Washington When It Comes to Politicians and the U.S. Military
Last night, President Obama opened his State of the Union address by referencing the sacrifices and courage of America’s military personnel as they return home from combat. The President’s rhetoric was moving, but unfortunately, words are simply words and have not been fully backed up with action that supports America’s heroes.
“I don't want to leave anybody with the impression that we're somehow zorching two carriers over there because we're concerned about what happened today in Iran.”
Vertically Challenged: Marine F-35 Engines’ Long Lead, Much Higher Cost
You may recall a couple of weeks ago when we reported, based on our own crude analysis of a Pentagon contract announcement, that the latest batch of engines for the Marine’s F-35 fighter would cost $129 million apiece, five times the $25 million sticker on the Air Force F-35 motor. The Marines’ higher cost is because its airplane …
How America Painted Itself Into A Corner on North Korean Succession
Great Washington Post piece on China’s intense desire for stability on Korean peninsula, thus the clear backing of the “Great Successor” Kim Jong Eun. Wrap-up paragraph says it all:
The notion of a democratized Korean Peninsula
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Carrier Truman C.O. Passes Away…
This isn’t the way a Navy aviator is supposed to leave his vessel, especially when it’s a behemoth like the 100,000-ton USS Harry S Truman. But on Tuesday morning, about 10 a.m., Captain Tushar Tembe collapsed as he was leaving the ship he had commanded for the past three months as it was undergoing maintenance in Norfolk. He died …
The Pentagon’s Cookie Jar…
The Pentagon always insists that its peace-time budgets don’t fund any war-fighting. That’s why it’s always seeking so-called supplementals when the balloon goes up. But here’s a dirty little secret: the Pentagon has routinely used such budget add-ons to buy weapons that have little to do with day-to-day war-fighting.
The Henry L. …
Photo Op: Foggy Fleet Week in San Francisco
Report Examines “Worst Case” Scenario for the U.S. Military
The debt ceiling deal passed this summer contains a sequestration “trigger.” If the Super Committee fails to agree on a plan to meet its deficit reduction targets–or if Congress fails to approve the plan, the legislation stipulates that huge amounts of discretionary spending funds will be automatically sequestered–i.e., taken off …
